Editor’s note: This post is one in a series with information to help you get on the road to clean eating with a whole foods diet. Here we feature two breakfast recipes.
Marshfield Clinic Health System registered dietitian Shelly Wildenberg recommends noting your daily habits to determine what is realistic before choosing a whole foods breakfast option.
What’s a likely problem? Time constraints.
“You may have good intentions to get up early and make yourself a healthy breakfast,” Wildenberg said. “Maybe snooze happens or your morning routine becomes chaotic. Whatever it may be, if breakfast doesn’t fit into your usual routine, prep ahead of time or make changes to your routine so you actually follow through with a healthy breakfast.”
“We are an on-the-go society, so I like to share satisfying breakfast ideas that fit into hectic lifestyles. You won’t be hungry five minutes after eating this,” she said.
Overnight Oats are a satisfying, whole foods breakfast option and fit into busy lifestyles.
Overnight Oats
Option 1: Raspberry-Peanut Butter
Prep time: 5 minutes
Chill time: 6 hours
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup rolled oats*
- 1 tablespoon whole chia seeds
- Stevia, a natural sweetener, to taste – approximately 6 drops (optional)
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
- 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
- 1/2 banana
*Use steel cut oats for a chewier texture.
Instructions
Add water, oats, chia and stevia to a pint jar or other 2-cup container. Swirl to mix.
In this order, top with peanut butter, raspberries and banana. Do not mix.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Stir and enjoy.
Nutrition information
Each serving contains approximately 418 calories; 23 g fat; 15 g protein; 47 g carbohydrates (31 g net carbs); 11 g sugar; 153 mg sodium; and 16 g fiber.
Source: Recipe adapted from minimalistbaker.com.
Note: While these recipes are called “overnight oats,” they can be made in the morning. The oats and chia seeds soak up water rather quickly.
Option 2: Blueberry-Raspberry
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or plain regular yogurt
- 1/4 cup rolled oats*
- 1 tablespoon whole chia seeds
- Stevia to taste – approximately 6 drops
- 1/8 cup walnuts, almonds or sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
*Use steel cut oats for a chewier texture.
Instructions
Add water, yogurt, oats, chia and stevia to a pint jar or other 2-cup container. Swirl to mix.
In this order, top with raspberries, blueberries and walnuts, or nut or seed of choice. Do not mix.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Stir and enjoy.
Nutrition information
Calculated using plain non-fat Greek yogurt and sunflower seeds. Nutrition content varies based on yogurt type and seed or nut.
Each serving contains approximately 365 calories; 17 g fat; 19 g protein; 43 g carbohydrates (28 g net carbs); 13 g sugar; 62 mg sodium; and 15 g fiber.
Source: Recipe adapted from homemadenutrition.com.
“Overnight oats are delicious cold,” Wildenberg said. “But you certainly can heat them if that’s your preference. They keep in the refrigerator for about two days.”
Make these recipes gluten free by substituting rolled or steel cut oats with gluten-free oats.
Print overnight oats recipe
Alternative breakfast ideas
On weekends or days with more time, egg bakes are great whole food breakfast options.
Veggie-filled egg bakes are filling and nutritious. Sites like Pinterest offer a variety of egg bake recipes.
Or visit American Heart Association to browse their breakfast options.
Mid-day snacks
“Between breakfast and lunch, enjoy a whole foods snack,” she said. “Chopped up veggies and hummus, a handful of nuts, or string cheese and a piece of fruit are a few tasty options.”
More clean eating tips and recipes
How to begin a whole foods diet
Turn whole foods into fast meals
Whole foods dinner and eating out tips
Will not using yogurt affect the oats and if so, does the recipe need to be modified??
Great question, Heidi. I spoke with Shelly, nutritionist, and she said you can omit the yogurt without any problems. She also suggested trying the peanut butter version we share in this article. It does not have yogurt.
I hope that helps, and thank you for reading Shine365. Enjoy! -Kirstie
how do I measure my cooked oatmeal/or cream of wheat/ intake to keep the calorie count low. I like to use a granola mix with coconut and nuts( ground together),one tablespoon of raisins, 1 teasp brown sugar, and 1/4 cup 2 % milk.(is a 1/4 cup oatmeal to much?)
Hi, Darleen. Have you tried our overnight oats recipes? They're balanced in nutrition and can keep you feeling satisfied for a number of hours. https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Overnight_Oats_Recipe.pdf
I did share your question with Shelly, nutritionist. It's difficult to calculate your nutrition content because calories from granola vary widely. Without doing a recipe analysis, Shelly suggests using either granola or oatmeal, but not both. She also suggests balancing your mix with berries or chopped apple and a tablespoon or 2 of nuts. Otherwise, you're taking in a lot of carbohydrates and not much else.
Calorie calculators online can help you understand serving sizes and nutrition information. Here's an example from WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-food-calorie-counter When you search oatmeal, you will see serving size varies by type, brand, etc.
I hope that helps, and thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie
Please update your information. Stevia is not an artificial sweetener, it is a natural sweetener made from the leaves and roots of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. It does not affect blood sugars and is calorie free.
Thank you, James. Stevia is included in our post about artificial sweeteners; we mistakenly labeled it here when referencing that post: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wellness/sweet-guide-sugar-artificial-sweeteners/
I appreciate you bringing this to our attention. -Kirstie